XRP Advocate John Deaton Accuses Wall Street of Copycat Crypto Moves

XRP advocate John Deaton is making headlines once again as he calls out Wall Street for following the strategy first popularized by crypto figures like Michael Saylor. Deaton asserts that the financial establishment is now applying tactics he had predicted years ago—just not with XRP yet.

With XRP continuing to gain traction in the broader digital asset space, Deaton has renewed focus on the role Ripple could soon play in institutional crypto adoption. Reacting to a recent CNBC article, Deaton emphasized that Wall Street’s move to adopt crypto into treasury management isn’t new to those who have followed his commentary. He linked the current developments back to statements he made several years ago, where he foretold that financial giants would mirror strategies like those initiated by Saylor, not just with Bitcoin, but potentially with other digital assets like Ethereum and XRP.

Deaton took to X (formerly Twitter) to share this view, highlighting BitMine Immersion Technologies’ $250 million Ethereum holdings strategy and SharpLink Gaming’s significant ETH treasury, which now totals $425 million through private placement. These moves, he points out, echo what he had been forecasting: that mainstream finance couldn’t ignore the potential returns from involvement in well-established cryptocurrencies.

“Several years ago, when I said I eventually expected XRP ETFs – some people laughed,” Deaton wrote in a recent post. He noted that skeptics didn’t believe Wall Street would ever adopt alternative crypto assets for treasury operations. Today, those same strategies are being implemented, and Deaton believes XRP may one day be at the center of similar institutional attention.

The XRP community has long advocated for greater financial inclusion of the digital asset, particularly with an XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) as a key milestone. Deaton continues to press the idea that players in the financial world are driven by greed and FOMO—the fear of missing out—which would eventually push them towards adopting blockchain-based assets, including XRP, as part of their reserves management model.

Adding weight to his argument, Deaton pointed to other companies extending beyond Bitcoin to Ethereum and Solana. Firms like Upexi, DeFi Development Corp, and Sol Strategies are each raising new capital to back their Solana holdings, indicating a growing institutional trend of crypto-based treasury assets beyond just BTC.

“It’s about behavior, not just technology,” Deaton explained. His stance is that the financial behavior of institutions is predictable. If there’s a profit to be made, major players are unlikely to remain passive. This lens helps explain why these modern treasuries are starting to embrace Ethereum and may soon tap into XRP, especially as regulatory clarity continues to evolve and market confidence in Ripple’s technology strengthens.

In highlighting XRP as a likely future player in this space, Deaton suggests that current efforts are just the beginning. Should Ripple continue gaining institutional trust and clarity from regulatory bodies, it’s feasible XRP could be included in future ETFs or treasury strategies, echoing the path Bitcoin and Ethereum are now paving.

Importantly, Deaton also referenced how stock prices for companies that integrated cryptocurrency into their treasury management saw subsequent gains. This pattern validates the strategy’s effectiveness and builds the case for further crypto adoption driven by strategic financial incentives.

While Ethereum currently leads the pack after Bitcoin in terms of institutional crypto reserves, XRP advocates like Deaton remain hopeful and vigilant. They continue to argue that the unique attributes of XRP—including speed, scalability, and low transaction costs—make it an ideal candidate for future financial products tailored to institutional investors.

Related: Expert Advice: Sell XRP If You’re Confused

Deaton’s commentary reignites conversation within the XRP community and among digital asset investors at large. With Wall Street slowly adapting to blockchain strategies, XRP’s day at the core of institutional finance may be drawing closer, one copied playbook at a time.